Steven Geis

As I begin serving you all as our NAESP Representative, I am humbled by your vote of support. Thank you. I will do all I can to serve you and advocate for the principalship. Principals are the keys to student success, staff professional development, parental involvement, community involvement and support. We unlock doors to allow numerous constituents to grow in countless ways. As I stated in the campaign I want to hear from you and keep clear lines of communication open. Please know I am just a phone call or email away.  

Fred Storti, Jon Millerhagen, Kris Stueve and I attended the 2010 NAESP Leaders Conference in Washington D.C. in July. The purpose of our meeting was to meet with our Congressional representative and put forth a common platform while sharing our personal experiences. Prior to storming the hill we heard from Mr. Roberto Rodrigues, special assistant to the president for Education Policy. He shared that NCLB has flaws and needs attention and also that many states have lowered standards and it has become a race to the bottom. He shared how all students need to be college and career ready as the administration’s number one goal. It was great to hear him say that the preK years are the most influential years and that there would be funding through a recovery act to assist with teaching and training. Finally, he indicated that NCLB needs to move toward a growth model and other funding initiatives. Unfortunately, there was not a question and answer session following his prepared comments so I was not able to ask further clarification on his points.

We spent an entire day on Capitol Hill to share the “expertise” we have. Michael Schooley, NAESP deputy executive director, stated that we are the “experts” in what happens in schools and our stories need to be heard. The following is what we conveyed to our Congressional representatives and it was mailed out after our meetings to reinforce our positions.

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) strongly supports efforts focused on improving the nation’s most persistently low-performing schools. NAESP knows that principals play a vital role in setting a school’s culture that is focused on teaching and learning. All federal reform initiatives must allow for flexibility and local control to ensure that unique school community and student needs are met and sustained.

MESPA leaders lobby in Washington D.C.: (l-r) Jon Millerhagen, MESPA President; Mary Pat Cumming, MASSP State Coordinator; James Smokrovich, MASSP President-Elect; P. Fred Storti, MESPA Executive Director; Senator Al Franken; Kris Stueve, MESPA President-Elect; Joann Knuth, MASSP Executive Director; Peter Olson, MASSP President; Roger Aronson, MESPA Legislative Counsel; and Steven Geis, MESPA NAESP State Representative.

NAESP looks forward to working collaboratively with Congress as the reauthorization of the ESEA begins in earnest.

School Improvement Efforts in ESEA:

• NAESP opposes any current or proposed model of school reform that requires the automatic dismissal of principals and/or teachers as a condition of receiving federal funds.
• Principals must be provided a fair and objective evaluation of their capacity, as well as the time, tools, staffing, and resources necessary to institute sustainable reforms that have been shown to improve student achievement. All principals should be granted the authority and autonomy to make necessary decisions in their school buildings related to, at minimum, learning and instruction.
• Multiple indicators must be factored into any and all evaluation of principals’ efforts to turn around a school. In addition to standardized test scores, significant contributing factors in any school reform effort include: 

• The relationships principals have established with parents and teachers;
• The improvements they have made in the school culture;
• The changes they have inspired in the overall context of the school community; and,
• The overall differences in students’ social, emotional, and behavioral growth.

• Automatic replacement of educators does not constitute a reform plan, nor does it guarantee success. In fact, requiring the replacement principals and teachers in a school perpetuates one of the consistent indicators of low-performing schools: high staff turnover rates. Whole school reform must be focused on teaching and learning and be supported by a positive school culture to ensure sustainable improvement in student achievement.
• School reform efforts must be supported by ongoing, job-embedded professional development for principals and teachers. NAESP supports experienced, practicing principals being paired with newer principals to support their growth and capacity over time.
• Any model of school reform must be substantiated by evidence-based research.

I will end by thanking Jean and quoting her.

“As elementary or middle level principals, it is our responsibility and duty to stay informed and involved in the current educational issues we are faced with so that we can be knowledgeable when discussing our concerns with our local and state representatives as well as members in the community. We need do to all that we can as principals, to continue our quest in contacting our representatives and senators about these key issues so that a strong and clear message is sent about investing federal dollars for adequate funding in education.”

Please keep track of reauthorization of ESEA and contact your representatives as well as our state elections this fall. Our students are counting on us!  Have a super start of the 2010-2011 School Year!  Look forward to hearing from you!